Let's price an illustrative box-and-tape basket alongside a crate rental. Our starting recommendation for a 2-bedroom home is 40 crates, adjusted to your belongings. This example uses 40 medium cardboard boxes, but equal container counts do not establish equal usable capacity; check the dimensions and inventory before choosing either option.

The illustrative receipt

Boxes: Using illustrative Home Depot unit-price assumptions of $2.28 for a medium box or $3.78 for a heavy-duty medium, 40 boxes would cost $91.20 or $151.20. These are assumptions retained from the original example, not current verified store prices. Check the specific product, size, store and price before buying.

Tape: Allow an illustrative $15–$20 for sealing the 40 boxes. Your actual usage and purchase price may differ.

Packing paper and bubble wrap: Dishes, glasses and frames may need cushioning in either cardboard or crates. Price the protection your inventory needs on both sides; it is excluded from both subtotals below.

Mattress and furniture protection: Bags, covers and blankets may be needed with either container choice. They are also outside both subtotals.

Markers, box cutter, odds and ends: Use what you already own where suitable. Any tools or writing supplies you still need are extra; included crate labels do not mean a marker is included. These small-item costs are not counted in either subtotal.

Boxes-and-tape subtotal: $106.20–$111.20 for standard medium boxes, or $166.20–$171.20 for heavy-duty mediums under these assumptions. These are partial, pre-tax budgets, not full moving-supply receipts; transport, protection and other supplies are extra.

What the receipt doesn't show

The receipt also leaves out your time: obtaining the boxes, assembling and taping them, then storing, giving away or recycling them afterward. A second supply run is possible if you undercount, but it is not inevitable. Any travel cost depends on how you obtain the supplies.

Keep those cash costs and the value of your time separate. We have not assigned either a dollar amount in this example.

The other receipt

A 40-crate Geaux package has a $225 first-week rental price. That is the rental subtotal, before applicable distance charges, tax, optional supplies and any extra weeks. Here's what the package includes:

• 40 industrial reusable crates with attached lids — no tape needed to close them
• 4 dollies (one per 10 crates)
• Moving labels
• Delivery to your door and scheduled pickup
• First 15 miles of each delivery and pickup trip included, then a $2/mile distance charge

There is no box assembly or tape needed to close the crates, and the empty crates leave on our truck at the scheduled pickup. You still need any cushioning and protective supplies your belongings require.

The difference

On these assumptions, the $225 rental subtotal is $113.80–$118.80 more than the standard-box-and-tape basket, or $53.80–$58.80 more than the heavy-duty basket. These gaps exclude tax, transport or distance charges, common supplies and extra rental time. The crate package adds delivery, scheduled pickup, dollies and labels; whether that service is worth the difference is your decision.

The useful comparison is your actual inventory and complete quote. Update the box prices and quantities, add the same necessary protection to both options, and then consider convenience separately.

Not sure 40 is your number? Our room-by-room guide gives you a starting point, or call or text (888) 615-2699 for help sizing your move. Then pick your package.